Broken Angel Wings
by LiquidVamp
Summary: [No Pairing] Life post Not Fade Away for Angel and Company. COMPLETE!
1. A thought before battle

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing but the plot. The characters were created by the great and mighty, Joss Whedon. I owe all my inspiration unto him.  
  
Prologue  
  
There comes a time in every man's life when he must face the truth. Death is inevitable! It will find you. No matter who or what you are, death will seek you out and it will find you. Whether it is the laws of nature that screams when a human is heavy with age; the executioners ax the deals punishment for high crimes and sins; the untimely accident of a foolish child testing the limits of life itself; the voice of despair that calls for an end to the pain that seeps and creeps in the heart of one depressed; or the rain of dust that comes as a vampire is staked in their unbeating heart by a slayer bent on following her calling. Death will find you! 


	2. The silence after the battle

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. Everything else is the property of Joss Whedon. I owe all my inspiration to him.   
  
Angel looked up at the night sky. Rain pelting down, drenching the remains of the Fang Gang to the bone. "I want the dragon."  
  
Fade to black  
  
Spike stood with his back to the wall, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Blood covered his face and hands. "Well one more apocalypse down. Who gets the credit for this one?" Spike asked as he looked over at a very worn, bloody, and bruised Angel.  
  
"I think that this one belongs to Wes and Gunn and Fred and Cordy and Doyle." He paused for a moment as he thought. "Doyle is the reason we are standing here today. Three of them fought and died fighting this fight long before we knew it was happening."  
  
"Cheers." Spike hung his head and looked at the water pooling around his feet.  
  
Illyria stood next to where Angel sat against the wall. She was bloody. Massive tares marred her leather clothing. Purple busies covered her face, killing what had been left of the fair peach complexion that once was Fred's. It was almost completely blue and purple. But busies fade in time and her complexion will return. "I am at a loss. What do we do now?" It was the obvious question, but never the less, one to which she didn't know the answer.  
  
"It is a good question that Blue presents. What are we going to do now Angel? Face it we haven't been the Scourge of Europe in a hell of a long time and you are no longer CEO of Hell Inc. So where do we go? What do we do now?"  
  
"We go on. We live as much as two insoled vampires and an ex demon goddess can. We see that Wes and Gunn are given proper burials and we heal."  
  
"So do we tell the Council and Buffy? Or do we leave them in the dark?"  
  
"Yeah the need to be updated. It isn't everyday that the biggest and oldest apocalypse ever planned gets averted and the Senior Partners taken down a notch."  
  
"By telly or in person?"  
  
"In person would be best. I just have one thing I need to do before we leave for Europe."  
  
"And what pray tell would that be?"  
  
"To let my son know I am alive."  
  
The words were barley audible, but still loud enough for Spike to hear. "Your what?" He exclaimed.  
  
"My son, Spike. Look I really don't feel like going into detail about it right now. I just want to find him, see him, and let him know I am okay."  
  
"Well either way we need to get to cover. The sun will be up in a matter of an hour or so."  
  
"I know. The Hyperion is just around the corner. I still have the key." Angel stood up and moved over to Spike. Spike knelt down and gathered Gunn's still warm body into his arms.  
  
"I am going to gather Wes's body. I placed it in a place of secrecy to keep it safe. I will meet back with you at the Hyperion." Illyria's voice was more cold and distant than normal, but no one needed to question why. Before either of them could respond, she had disappeared from their sight.  
  
Side by side the two make there way threw the rain. Turning the corner, bringing them out of the ally, the Hyperion could be seen rising out of the darkness at the far end of the block. The only noise to mare the silence was the sound of the rain falling and their footsteps on the rain soaked sidewalk. 


	3. First steps

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. Everything else is the property of Joss Whedon. I owe all my inspiration to him.   
  
Chapter 2  
  
Angel slid the key in the lock. The lock gave some resistance, but finally gave under the constant heavy pressure of Angel turning it. The smell of stale air and dust assaulted their noses. A faint smell or perfume and flowers still hung in the air.  
  
Fades to haze  
  
"Come sit. You look tired. Big Nasty give you a run for your money?" Cordy looked so beautiful. She was wearing a smile that could light a thousand suns.  
  
'This isn't real.' Angel thought to himself. "You are dead."  
  
"No I most certainly am not. See, touch right here." She lifted Angel's hand and placed it over her steadily beating heart. "Very much alive thank you."  
  
Fade back to present  
  
"Angel you okay. You aren't looking so hot. You rather look like you have seen a bleeding ghost."  
  
"Huh..." The sounds of Spike's voice called him back. "Just old memories. This place holds a lot of them for me."  
  
"Where should I put..."  
  
"In one of the bedrooms on the second floor. They should still have beds in them. We will take care of that after sundown. He didn't really have any family. Just Anne and the old gang he hung with. I'll use the tunnels and try to find them in a bit. They would want to be there."  
  
"Are you going to find your son while you are out?"  
  
"Yeah... But I am pretty sure I know where to find him. Are you coming with or do want to stay here and wait for Illyria to get back."  
  
At almost the same moment, Illyria pushed the door to the hotel open using her back. She cradled the lifeless body of the one she loved in her arms. She walked in and straight to the stairs. "I will be with him."  
  
"Blue...Illyria, maybe it would be best if you came with us."  
  
"You would ask me to leave him again? Who is it that will keep watch over him?"  
  
"Illyria, Spike is right. You should come with us. They will be fine. I am sure there are heavenly beings keeping an eye out. We really should find Gunn's old gang and let them know what has happened. Not to mention Connor. The last time I saw him was yesterday and I made him leave before he got himself killed."  
  
"I go because it pleases me."  
  
"Lerry, do yourself a favor and stop acting so damn tough. We understand you loved him. It is okay to show that and to grieve."  
  
When Spike looked at her, his heart broke for her. She had never asked to come her. She didn't want to be in a world that was so different from that which she was used to, but Wes had helped her. Tried to help her adjust to life as a superhero and not a god. She had Fred's memories of love and her own need to bond to Wes. It was understandable that she ached for him. Felt like the world had crumbled around her again. He knew how it felt. The memory of Buffy dying did it to him every time. Even when she had been standing in front of him, so close that he could feel her breath.  
  
"Cry, scream, be angry, do something other than act like it isn't bothering you."  
  
"You do not do these things."  
  
"No offense, but I didn't love Wes. But if it helps, I did when Fred died. I did when Buffy died. In fact I was a big sniveling baby when she died and I am man enough to admit it!"  
  
"Spike, give her time. She is still adjusting to this world. It may take some time to hit her."  
  
With that the three made their way to the basement and down into the sewers. Their first priority was to find Connor. Angel needed to see him. Because he knew it very well could be his last. Angel was right. He found him sitting in the same coffee shop he had the day before. "Connor."  
  
"Dad! I was worried you wouldn't get out in time."  
  
Connor wrapped his arms around his father. It felt right to worry about Angel. It was like a knife through the heart every time a memory of the true past hit him. To know what he had done, what the truth was, and all Angel wanted was for him to be happy and have a normal life. Finally releasing Angel from his clutch he realized that Angel had been hugging him back and had not let go. He still clung to his son.  
  
Angel let his arms drop to his side. "I am okay. I just needed to know that you were."  
  
"Yeah I am. I was worried about you, but I figured you would come find me if you got out of this alive and hey look I was right, because here you are." Connor looked over Angel from head to toe. "You look like shit. You do know that don't you?" There was a slight laugh in his voice, but it was tilted with sadness.  
  
"Yeah pretty well had figured that one out." Pausing he noticed that Illyria was looking a little to out of place. She had morphed into Fred's form to be in public, but she still was covered in bruises and looked like she needed to be in a hospital instead of a coffee house. "Wes and Gunn didn't make it. We need to find Gunn's old gang so we can give the two of them a proper good-bye. Do you want to help?"  
  
"Sure. Where should I start? I still have my lovely ability to tack everything on God's green earth. So just tell me where to start."  
  
"We will go together. That is if you don't mind going by sewer. Gunn mentioned a few weeks ago that the shelter had moved, but that it was only a few blocks from the old one, so we shouldn't have any trouble finding it."  
  
"I am with. Let me grab me stuff."  
  
"Still working on that resume?"  
  
"Yeah, but I am not really getting anywhere with it. Keep getting stuck. Not being able to think." Connor gathered the papers he had splayed out across the top of the table he had been sitting at and stuffed them into a nap sack before slinging it over his shoulder.  
  
"You'll get it figured out when you stop worrying about it."  
  
"You're probably right."  
  
The four of them moved to the rear of the building and slipped into the back room unnoticed by anyone. Spike opened the door that was the opening to the sewers. They dropped down into the hole and Spike pulled the door down over them.  
  
Spike pulled a cigarette from his coat pocket and rummaged around for his lighter. "Bloody hell. Anyone got a light? I seem to have misplaced my lighter."  
  
"You left it at the Hyperion."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"I saw you lay it down there and then not pick it back up."  
  
"Why didn't you say something?"  
  
"Why would I?"  
  
"Good point. You wouldn't."  
  
Together the group trudged on. Weaving and winding their way through the underbelly of LA.  
  
"That is where we go up. It should dump us in an abandoned warehouse that is on the backside of the new shelter."  
  
"Who is going to go get Anne?" Connor asked.  
  
"Do you mind going. Get Anne and ask for any of his old crew to come out to talk to me. I will tell them what happened." Before Angel could even finish the sentence Connor was out of sight.  
  
"Damn that boy is too much like you Angel." Spike was actually rather amazed by it, but tried his best to hide it. "So when do you plan on explaining how he got here in the first place?"  
  
"Later Spike." Angel was tired and Spike was not helping. Though he didn't need sleep, he felt like he could sleep for a thousand years right now and he just couldn't. There was too much to be done. Sleep would have to wait till later.  
  
"Have you given thought to how we are going to get to Europe? We don't exactly have a jet at our disposal anymore."  
  
"Yes we do. The Senior Partners are not on this plane. The LA office of Wolfram & Hart may have been destroyed when we took out the Circle of the Black Torn and the hellion army, but the plane is real and still sitting at LAX. All we need to do is find someone to fly it."  
  
"Oh and that will be so easy."  
  
"I don't know about that. As far as demon kind knows, I went evil. Member of the Circle remember. I should be able to use that to our advantage. Only one still standing kind of thing."  
  
"Hello what about me and Illyria? They are going to know we didn't turn evil."  
  
"We'll sing an old song. It was 'follow me and do my biding or die.'"  
  
"And you actually think that anyone is going to believe that one?"  
  
"I don't care if they do or not. If they question me, I will kill them."  
  
"Well there is that."  
  
Illyria seemed to care less about the conversation they were having around her. She sat on a broken stone column, with her head tilted to the side in it's normal fashion and stared into the wide-open space of the warehouse. Letting her thoughts drift. Reliving Fred's life through her memories. Wracked with pain and anger. It was beginning to become hard to tell where Fred ended and she began. Even the two sets of Fred's memories seemed to be merging together. 


	4. Breaking hearts

Chapter 3  
  
It was only a few minutes before Connor returned with Anne and several others in tow.  
  
"Angel is that you? I haven't seen you in so long."  
  
Angel noticed how much older and stronger she looked now. Anne had filled him in once about the girl who had saved her life and gotten her started on her path in life. Buffy. She had been a different person back then. But with Buffy's help and name she started over. She had grown into an amazing young woman. A champion for others who are so much like the girl she used to be. 'This may be the hardest thing I have ever had to do,' he thought to himself.  
  
"Angel, hun, if it's even possible, I swear you seem more quiet and sullen than normal. What's up? What did you need to tell me, that you risked daylight to come share it?"  
  
"Anne it's Gunn."  
  
"What has he done now? I just saw him yesterday."  
  
"Anne he is gone."  
  
"NO" she yelled. "He was here just yesterday."  
  
Tears began to pour down her cheeks. Sobs wracked her body. One of gentlemen of the group moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders for support.  
  
"It happened last night. Near the Hyperion. He lost a lot of blood. There was nothing we could do."  
  
One of Gunn's old crew lunged forward at Angel, but Connor jumped in front of him, blocking him for connecting. "You did this," he yelled.  
  
Angel remained calm. "I guess in a manner I did. He helped me take on and kill the most powerful evil group on earth. He killed his target. We agreed to all meet up in the ally north of the Hyperion. But by the time he got to me he was already weak from blood loss. But we had no time to get him help. Seems Wolfram & Hart didn't like that we took out their earthly vestiges. The literally sent a demon army, complete with dragon, to come kill us. He fought to his last breath. He died a hero!"  
  
Anne continued to cry and collapsed to the floor. Two of the men nearest her knelt to hold her. Emotions shown clearly on everyone's faces. They ranged from pain and grief to honor and pride. One of the few that Angel recognized stepped forward. "He would have wanted a traditional group service."  
  
"I know. It's why I came."  
  
"Bring his body to the spot near the old tracks. You know the one. Be there at midnight. We will have everything ready." He was trying to be strong you could tell, but he voice betrayed him, cracking as he spoke.  
  
"I do. I have one more thing to ask of you. His friend, our friend, Welsey also passed. We wish for the same to be done for him." The mention of Wes's name caught Illyria's attention and she looked up. She wasn't sure what Angel was referring to but never the less agreed with a nod of her head.  
  
"Wesley? Isn't he the guy that took the caps to the gut for us? Back when the zombie cops where after us."  
  
"That's him."  
  
"It's the least we could do for him. He nearly died that night for us." The words were soft, but Anne made her stand. Wes would receive an honorable memorial next to his friend.  
  
Nothing was left to be said. Angel knelt down in front of Anne. "Anne, I am so sorry."  
  
She looked up at him a saw the tears shimmering in his eyes. "He knew didn't he? That he was going to die. He came by yesterday and was going on about knowing you can't stop the evil. I thought he was just being dramatic. He always was so good at blowing things out of proportion."  
  
He wiped the ears from her face with the back of her hand. "He had a good idea."  
  
Spike had not said anything the entire time finally spoke up. "We all did. We knew the risks before we set out."  
  
With that she rose from the ground, gave Angel a kiss of the cheek, turned, and walked away; her group with her. A fresh torrent of tears began pouring down her face.  
  
Spike had been watching Illyria for some time and began to notice that she was looking worse and worse. "I think we need to get her back to the hotel. She looks like she could use some rest. Food probably wouldn't be a bad thought for her either. She eats more than Fred did, and Fred could eat anyone under the table. Illyria, do you want something to eat?"  
  
She looked at Spike. It was the saddest he had ever seen her. She looked lost and confused. "No" was all she managed to squeak out before hanging her head again.  
  
"We need to get going. Your right Spike, rest would do her good." 'I hope' Angel thought to himself. "Connor you need to head home. Your parents will be getting worried."  
  
"No they won't. I told them I was going to be out all day."  
  
"They're parents Connor. They worry."  
  
"Fine... but only for a while. I want to be there tonight if that's okay with all of you."  
  
"I have no problems with it, but it will be late."  
  
"Dad I am all but grown. I do believe I can stay away from home for one night without the world crashing down around my parents. They will understand. It isn't the first time I have been out late or been gone all night you know."  
  
"I just don't want you to get in trouble."  
  
"Look if it makes you feel better, I will go home and tell my parents that I am going to be with friends for tonight. They won't mind."  
  
"Okay, but only if they say okay. I don't want to cause you any trouble."  
  
"Dad you worry to much. I will see you later." With that Connor made his way out the front of the building.  
  
Illyria still had not moved from her seat on the column. Spike took hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet. He scooped her up in his arms before she had a chance to protest. Together Angel and Spike made there way back to the manhole cover that was the opening to into the sewer. Angel dropped down first. Then Spike helped Illyria down to him. He followed directly behind her. Angel already had Illyria in his arms, the two of the turned and made their way in the direction of the hotel.  
  
"Maybe we should have had the kid bring her something to eat." It was more a statement than anything. Mainly because the silence was beginning to get to Spike.  
  
"I don't think she would have ate it if he brought it."  
  
"You are probably right."  
  
Soft sounds of snoring escaped from Illyria's lips. "Poor thing hasn't slept in who knows how long. She may be a super girl, but even they need sleep."  
  
"I sure feel like I could use some."  
  
"You too. Funny we don't need it to live, but it sure feels like it right now." 'It feels good to talk, even if it was to Spike,' Angel thought.  
  
"I never thought to ask. What kind of service are the two of them getting?"  
  
"Funeral pyres," Angel responded.  
  
"Makes sense, I guess. Gunn once told me his old grew fought vamps. Best way to make sure your buddy didn't get turned."  
  
"Pretty much." 


	5. Exposed feelings

Chapter 4  
  
Angel laid Illyria in Fred's old room.  
  
"Something that seems familiar should help her?"  
  
"Familiar. Angel are you daft? There isn't a damn thing in this room but a bed and a night stand."  
  
"Not now, no. But this used to be Fred's room. Scrape off any spot of paint and you will find Fred."  
  
Spike took him up on it. Sure enough there was something written on the wall just under the topcoat of paint.  
  
"What is this? It looks like gibberish."  
  
"Fred's life story, romanticized."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Fred went nuts in Pylea. She thought her normal life was a fairy tale that she had dreamed up."  
  
"That's fairly disturbing."  
  
"You should have seen it before we painted over it. Every inch of wall was covered." They exited the room into the hall.  
  
A sound in the lobby got their attention. Spike stomped his foot threw a chair that was sitting in the hall. Breaking it into hundreds of pieces. He bent and picked up two of the now broken legs, and passed one of the makeshift stakes to Angel. Both men crept towards the end of the hall towards the lobby.  
  
"Angel? Are you here?"  
  
"Anne?" Angel whispered to Spike.  
  
"Sounds like her."  
  
The lowered there stakes and tried to not look startled as the came out onto the landing and down the stairs. "Anne?"  
  
"Angel!" She ran to him and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. Tears began to pour down her face for the millionth time today. Angel led her to take a seat on the stairs. "I am sorry to bother you, but I wanted to see him before tonight. Say goodbye I guess."  
  
"It is okay. He is upstairs. I'll take you up." He took her hand as they rose from their seats and lead her to the room that held Gunn's body. "Do you want me to stay?"  
  
"Not really. I need some time to myself."  
  
"I will be right down stairs if you need me."  
  
There was no response as Angel pulled the door closed behind him. As Angel entered the lobby, he took notice that Spike has taken a seat on the counter and was taking a drag from a fresh cigarette.  
  
"I see you found your lighter."  
  
"Time is up, Grandpa, time to fill me in on Connor."  
  
"Fine Spike, but you get the real short story. Wolfram & Hart brought Darla back from the dead, human no less. She was still sick with syphilis. Dru vamped her again. The two went on a killing spree, taking out most of the Wolfram & Hart special operations department, after I locked them all in a room together. I fired my team; started hunting Darla. Finally find Darla at Lindsey's apartment. We had sex. I didn't lose my soul. She left town. Then showed back up 9 months later pregnant and sharing a soul with the baby. She staked herself in the ally behind Caratas, with Holtz standing there watching. Wes found a prophecy that he didn't tell any of us about that said the father would kill the son. He kidnapped Connor, got his throat cut by Justine, who was working with Holtz. Justine took Connor to Holtz, Sahjhan opened a portal to Qurtoth, Holtz jumped in with Connor. A few months later, Connor drops out of a portal here in the lobby. Right there in the center of the Pentagram actually. A teenager. After a few hard months, including a couple at the bottom of the ocean and Cordy as a higher being, I made a deal with the devil to give Connor a real life. They changed everyone's memories except mine so that he never existed in our lives. In exchange, we took over Wolfram & Hart. A few weeks ago, Connor and his family show up here. Then Vail came to me, he needed Sahjhan dead and Connor was the only person that could do it. Prophecy and all. Wes got suspicious and figured out way too much. He and Illyria showed up at Vail's while Connor was there killing the demon. He broke the Orlan window, the magic that had controlled the memories. Anyway when it broke, it brought back the memories of those in the room."  
  
"Sodding hell that is a lot to process. How did Darla get pregnant in the first place. A higher evil that goes by the name The Devourer, Jasmine. Yet another long story."  
  
A sound on the landing drew their attention. Illyria had woken and was standing on the landing looking over the rail.  
  
"You okay pet?"  
  
She did not respond and neither wanted to push her.  
  
'How do you stop the pain?' It was all she could think. Death would stop it. 'I don't want death.' Over and over the same thought cycled through her mind. She was aware of those around her, but found no reason to speak. It all seemed without reason to her. Life, death, love, hate, good, evil, all pointless. All she could feel with grief. 'This is the feeling that Wesley felt for Fred. He felt ill when he looked at me. This is what I guarded her parents from.' "This is a cruelty worse than death itself."  
  
"What pet?"  
  
She didn't even notice that she had spoken the words aloud.  
  
"This grief. It is worse than death itself."  
  
"No arguing with you there luv. Thought so myself a time or two." Spike found it comforting that she was talking.  
  
"Why is it so?"  
  
"Got no answer for that. Love I guess. It hurts to lose it, no matter how little you started with."  
  
'Figures he would come up with a good answer,' Angel thought to himself. 'He always was the one with the feeling, even when he wasn't suppose to.'  
  
"It hurts! I wish it to stop. I command it to stop!"  
  
"It will in time." Angel assured her.  
  
"It was not this way when I was God. Death just was."  
  
"It is humanity. You get all the goodness of love and joy, but you have to take the bad with it."  
  
"I wish it to be gone."  
  
"Take our advice, no you don't!" Spike said. 


	6. Helping

Chapter 5  
  
"Charles you were one of the strongest men I knew. You were the closest thing I ever had to a brother. I will never forget you." Anne bent and placed a kiss on his cold forehead. "I love you."  
  
With that she turned and left the room. She would need to get back to the shelter soon or the guys would get worried and come looking for her.  
  
Halfway down the stairs she noticed the woman in the corner who appeared to be examining the long dead pot plant. Her hair and skin was oddly blue in places. She wore a full body leather suit that was tattered and torn. She resembled Fred greatly, but surely it couldn't be. Fred had been with Angel this morning and she most defiantly did not look like that. She had been sporting a face full of purple bruises.  
  
Illyria turned at the sound of footsteps on the staircase. 'It is the woman from the earlier meeting. Anne,' she thought to herself.  
  
The bruises were unmistakably the same. "Fred?"  
  
"She isn't Fred luv. That is Illyria, once demon goddess, now super girl, evictor of Fred."  
  
Anne scanned the room again. Angle was no where to be found "And you are?"  
  
Spike hopped down from his seat, tossed his cigarette to the floor, and crushed it with his heel before walking over to Anne. "Spike's the name."  
  
"You're a vampire?"  
  
"Complete with a soul if you are keeping score."  
  
"You are like Angel then right?"  
  
"Bloody hell not! He got cursed with a soul. I went through bloody hell to get mine."  
  
Illyria was not impressed with Spike's ranting. "Such trivialities you speak of."  
  
Spike and Anne both looked at Illyria confused by her sudden outburst.  
  
"To you maybe Pet. But I'm keeping score. Means a bit to me."  
  
"I guess this is nice to meet you then." She offered out her hand for him to shake.  
  
Spike accepted. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Where is Angel?"  
  
"Should be about somewhere. He said something about taking a peep around to see if the Fang Gang left anything behind when they moved out that we could use."  
  
"No time to pack huh?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
The two moved over to the stairs and took a seat in nearly the same spot that she had with Angel only an hour earlier. "You do look pretty rough. Is there anything I can bring to you guys?"  
  
"Angel and I are okay but Blue here could use a first aid kit. Maybe even a dress. Or at least a shirt and a pair of jeans if you happen to have it lying about."  
  
"I think we can come up with something." It felt good to her to be helpful to them. 'Helps to keep my mind off of Gunn,' she thought. "How about food? Has she eaten lately? Here I am assuming she even eats."  
  
"Oh she eats. She hasn't been much in a mood to eat since..."  
  
"I get that. I haven't either."  
  
Angel came out of the back hallway. "How long have you been down?"  
  
"Too long. I need to get back before the guys get worried and come hunting." She rose from her seat. "It was nice to meet you Spike and you too Illyria."  
  
Illyria didn't even notice the acknowledgment.  
  
"I will get one of the guys to run that stuff over as soon as I get back."  
  
"Thanks luv."  
  
Anne walked swiftly to the door and exited out. Yelling bye behind her.  
  
"Stuff?" Angel asked.  
  
"Food, bandages, and maybe even clothes for Blue."  
  
"Oh. That's good. She does look rough."  
  
She ambled around the room absently staring at different objects, nothing truly capturing her attention.  
  
"With her ability to change her shape I thought she would have at least been able to mend her outfit though."  
  
Spike watched her as she moved. "I don't think she cares to. Maybe she just doesn't have the energy and heart to do it."  
  
"Maybe so."  
  
At that moment Connor open the lobby door and walked in. "Hi." He was carrying a brown paper bag.  
  
Angel was glad to see him. "Hi."  
  
"I see you guys aren't looking much better than the last time I saw you."  
  
"No, not really." Spike replied.  
  
Reaching out his hand, he extended the bag to Angel. "Here, I brought you something. I didn't know what to get her, so I got a few candy bars."  
  
Angel smiled. "Thanks." He opened the bag and found two pints of pig's blood. "You didn't have to do this."  
  
"I know. But hey you're no good if you're hungry right. You said it yourself. It isn't over, still got evil to fight."  
  
Angel removed the containers from the bag and passed one to Spike.  
  
"Sorry it's still cold, I really didn't have a way to warm it up."  
  
Spike had already opened his and finished half of it. "It's okay we'll live. So to speak anyway."  
  
An African-American gentleman came in with a package in hand. "I only have a minute, Anne said to bring these to you. Said you had a friend who needed help."  
  
"Thank you. We really appreciate everything."  
  
The man did not say anything in return; he just turned and walked away, leaving the hotel.  
  
"You want to take care of her, or me?"  
  
"I will take care of it. She seems at least a little as ease with me." Spike wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but still, he felt like he had to be the one to help her.  
  
"Illyria come on luv, we need to get those cuts cleaned up." He grabbed the bag off the counter where Angel had set it, on his way up the stairs  
  
She didn't say anything; she just moved to follow him up the stairs. 


	7. An end to some a begining to others

Chapter 6  
  
The time had come to lay their friends to rest. Connor came ahead of them to help see that everything was set up. He stood with the rest of the group as the three made their way into the midst of the group. Angel carried Wesley in his arms while Spike carried Gunn, Illyria followed behind as if she were a puppy following its master. There was dead silence as the trio made there way into the midst of the group. Two large wooden pyres stood in the clearing awaiting the bodies of the slain. Angel and Spike placed the bodies of their fallen comrades a top their respecting resting places and back away. The current leader of the gang stepped forward holding two torches.  
  
He walked first to the group that had once been Gunn's family. His crew, the people that he has lived with, fought for, loved. Anne walked forward, removing a lighter from her pocket, and light the torch. The man turned and walked to the motley crew that was the remains of the Fang Gang. Spike drew his lighter and lit it before handing it to Illyria to light the torch. She did as she had seen Anne do, holding the flame to the torch until it was burning with orange flames, only then withdrawing her hand and passing the lighter back to Spike.  
  
Silence filled the air, not a single breath to be heard. Slowly the gentlemen walked away from the groups, placing himself in between the two pyres.  
  
"You fought, you loved, and you gave all. For this we bid you peace."  
  
He placed the torches at his feet and backed away as the flames began to catch. Twin fires erupted and roared high into the midnight sky almost instantly.  
  
Connor tried his best not to cry. Not to show how painful he found this. It was the biggest reminder of all the painful memories he didn't want to remember. All of the mean things that he had done to his father and his friends. There was no stopping the tears. He wept with abandon.  
  
Spike had not known them but for a short time, and still this was one of the most painful days of all his 150 years. He could only think of a few others that were more painful. He refrained his tears, but his heart broke.  
  
Angel had seen, had caused so much death in his time, but this was nearly more than he could bear. He had sent them to their deaths. Two silent tears made streaks down his cheeks.  
  
It started first with a single tear rolling down her cheek. One single drop turned to a torrent of scalding hot tears. The pain that she had was feeling overwhelmed Illyria. Every memory of Fred's rushed through her mind filling her with conflicting emotions, love, happiness, joy, and triumph battling in her heart and mind against the pain and grief that filled her. Never in all of her thousands of years as a God has see experienced anything like this. Power, envy, malice, rage she had known, but love, pain, and grief had been foreign to her until she had been brought back to inhabit this human form. She collapsed to the ground amidst her raging emotions. Rage began to build.  
  
"How dare they take him from me! How dare they think they can challenge the mighty Illyria, God-King of the primordium! Shaper of things!"  
  
She let out a scream that could have deafened an average person. She waved her hand and a portal opened to a darken wasteland. The only thing to be seen was a ring of fire and three half human half animal creatures sitting in its midst. Each of the beings had the torso and head of a human a top the body of an animal. They looked like mythical creatures from a time long past. They sat facing one another paying no mind to what was going on outside the ring that sat in. Illyria rose from her place on the ground and entered the portal, Angel and Spike quick to follow. "You would dare to take him away from me. It is because of you that I have lost the one and only thing that I have ever known love for. You will die swiftly for your actions against me." It was only then that the three creatures stood and took their places side by side facing Angel, Illyria, and Spike. With only the fire to separate them.  
  
Rage could be seen boiling in her cool blue eyes. She raised her hand again and time froze. Even the flames of the fire stopped their dancing and flickering. The only things that remained animated was Angel, Spike, and herself. She turned to them. "These are the enemies that you have been fighting so valiantly against. The ones that you fought from the belly of, the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart! Choose the one you wish to slay. Time will return to its normal order just as the sword meets their necks, so that they may feel the wrath I have for them."  
  
"Pet I hate to be the one to bring this up, but we have no swords." Spike was slightly weirded out. He was glad to come kill the big bad, but she could have at least let them find weapons to do it with first.  
  
Angel just stood watching, wondering, how did she still have this much power? Just a few hours before she hadn't even had the will to mend her own clothing. Had Fred's emotions given her the strength and ability to do these things at her whim or had that toy of Wesley never really worked? What was happening? Yet he did not question it out loud. For whatever reason they were standing there about to kill the three things that had taken so much from him. His only true family he had ever had. The only people who had ever loved him despite his pitfalls. Vengeance would be his, no matter how he got there in the first place.  
  
Another wave of Illyria's hand and gleaming silver swords appeared in each of their hands.  
  
"No need to tell me twice. I am taking the ponce on the end here." Spike stepped forward to take his place in front of the Hart. Illyria took her position in front of the Ram, leaving Angel the Wolf.  
  
To those still standing watch over the pyres of their friends, they could see all that was happening threw the portal. Anne found it rather interesting the places each of them took. The wolf, a beast of cunning intelligence, it is a quality that has been a part of Angel for as long as she has known him. The ram, even it astrological sign is know for fiery tempers, something that no one in that group was likely to forget that Illyria was full of. The hart, its name often brings to mind thoughts of love and emotions. Though she herself didn't know Spike, the short conversation she had had with him this afternoon told her it was a description that fit him well.  
  
Standing face to face with some of the oldest evil on earth, younger only to the First and Illyria herself, they prepared to fight a fight that would be one sided at best. Each poised their blades to swing.  
  
Connor stood and watched with amazement. Illyria was a force to be reckoned with.  
  
"Now," Illyria yelled. Time came alive at the same moment they swung. Before the three had a chance to react, their heads rolled to the ground as their bodies toppled over.  
  
"They have paid for their crimes." Illyria lead the way back threw the portal, back to a stunned and amazing group of on lookers. The fires had burned to nothing more than embers while they had taken care of the evil that had taken them.  
  
Angel stood between the two piles of ash. "My friends, I have kept my word. We have seen that your deaths were not in vain." Without another word the four turned and left.  
  
The time has come for them to move forward. To move on and let the pain be but a memory.  
  
The End 


End file.
